Consistently inconsistent
Warwatch , Issue 1672

DONALD TRUMP has been less than consistent with his messaging on the war on Iran. So why shouldn't the UK press be too?

Beating a retreat
"With the real prospect of regime change in Tehran, it was always crucial Western powers sent out a coherent message... With both Canada and Australia already voicing support for the US strikes, there was no excuse for [Keir Starmer] not speaking up earlier... While leaders of other countries clearly see the bigger picture, Sir Keir – true to his legal background – initially seemed more intent on observing the small print." – Daily Mail editorial, 2 March

"The West has been dragged into completely unchartered [sic] terrain courtesy of Donald Trump's decision to wage war on Iran... Even leaving aside the rising toll of death and destruction, the outlook is dismal in the extreme... It is becoming ever more clear that the US has got itself stuck in an intractable jam that could have ruinous consequences for the global economy." – Daily Mail editorial, 20 March

The expert view
"Critics may dismiss Trump as vain but they miss how he manages to bend foes – and allies alike – to his will." – Military historian Mark Almond, Mail on Sunday, 5 October 2025

"Trump has belittled and scorned his allies. No wonder so few of them are now willing to help." – Mark Almond, Daily Mail, 16 March 2026

The long march of Andrew Neill
"It's quite an agenda, and who can doubt the Middle East and the wider world would be better places if Trump could achieve it? The threat of a nuclear-armed Iran removed. No more indiscriminate lobbing of missiles at Israel when it feels like it. The crippling of some of the world's worst terrorist groups. The demise of an evil, repressive mediaeval theocracy. The prospect of a post-Islamist Iran no longer intimidating its neighbours but living alongside them in peace and prosperity. So, the prize is huge. We should wish Trump well in his endeavours and hope for a speedy and successful conclusion." – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 3 March

"Starmer snubbed Trump on Iran... I have been inundated by queries from US friends asking if Britain has lost its marbles. Sadly, there is only one answer. Great damage has been done to US-UK relations for no purpose or benefit." – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 5 March

"The endgame – what victory would look like – remains as much of a mystery as it did when he began the attacks on Iran 12 days ago... It was wise to stay out. You cannot easily go to war comfortably or confidently alongside an ally who changes the war aims from day to day and his assessment of the course of the war from hour to hour. Nor is it sensible to stand shoulder to shoulder with an ally who has made some fundamentally wrong calls." – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 11 March

"If this is what the President considers victory to be, then you wonder what he thinks defeat would look like... The White House, of course, is populated by slow learners – for this was already the lesson of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya." – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 14 March

"Almost three weeks into the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, Trump has yet to articulate what he sees as the endgame... Why would the Nato allies now want to align with such epic stupidity?" – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 19 March

"Being caught in Iran's trap is the biggest mistake of Trump's presidency. I don't see how he can recover." – Andrew Neill, Daily Mail, 25 March

All guns blazing...
"Trump's war in Iran is far from a disaster – To pretend that the campaign is going badly is wrong." – Telegraph leader column, 18 March

"Europe is deluded for not cheering on Trump in Iran... The Americans and Israelis appear to have achieved many of their objectives." – Telegraph leader column, 25 March

...And marching in the opposite direction
"How Trump's Iran gamble backfired... Operation Epic Fury, his assault on Iran, has exposed once again the limits of American power, as well as the shortcomings of the madman approach... At some point soon, Trump will declare victory and send his ships and planes back home to help further establish ‘hemispheric dominance' over those naughty narco-states south of the border. He never admits defeat. But even his powers of persuasion might not be sufficient to stop Epic Fury going down in history as an epic fail..." – Spectator front-page feature by US editor Freddy Gray, 12 March

"The West should double down on the Iran war... Donald Trump may be the volatile leader of an unstable coalition... But that does not mean now is the time to step away, shake one's head and lament the un-wisdom of war. It only reinforces the need to finish the job: to rid Iran of its rulers, its regime infrastructure, its nuclear capability and the Islamist nightmare it has endured for almost five decades..." – Spectator leading article, 19 March

More top stories in the latest issue:

LEAN CUISINE
Three months after Tortoise Media's CEO said the Observer was "completely on plan", the company announced a round of voluntary redundancies.

DIGGING FOR BURROWS
A private investigator called as a witness was at the heart of bizarre scenes in the case between the Mail and Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and others.

SUN DOWNER
As the Sun features desk braces itself for job cuts, there's widespread dismay at the bizarre scoring matrix bring used to decide who goes.

CHRISTIAN VALUES
An Express correspondent who was made to apologise after a racist tweet has now joined the Daily Mail as senior political editor-at-large.

TAKING THE PISS
Green leader Zack Polanski held a "big economics speech" at a venue with eco-friendly "water-free" toilets that ponged to high heaven.

BROKEN RECORD
When the Scottish parliament voted down the assisted dying bill, all major Scottish newspapers covered the result the next day – except one.